Intelligent device wipes for mobile device management

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for determining whether to initiate a remote device wipe in a mobile device management context. In one example, a system comprises a computing device configured to identify a device wipe condition for a client device and determine a wipe policy associated with the device wipe condition. A time for a time delay is initiated for a device wipe action of the client device. A wipe instruction is transmitted to execute the device wipe action based on an expiration of the time delay for the device wipe action.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system, comprising:
 a computing device comprising a processor and a memory; and 
 machine-readable instructions stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to at least:
 identify a device wipe condition for a client device; 
 determine a wipe policy associated with the device wipe condition; 
 determine whether the wipe policy is an immediate device wipe policy or a conditional device wipe policy; 
 in response to determining that the device wipe condition for the client device is met and the wipe policy is the immediate device wipe policy, transmit a wipe instruction to the client device to immediately execute a device wipe action; 
 in response to determining that the device wipe condition for the client device is met and the wipe policy is the conditional wipe policy, transmit a pending wipe notification to an administrative device and initiate a time delay for the device wipe action for the client device based on the wipe policy, wherein the administrative device provides an option to reject the device wipe action before an expiration of the time delay; and 
 transmit the wipe instruction to the client device to execute the device wipe action based on the expiration of the time delay for the device wipe action if the device wipe action was not rejected on the administrative device before the expiration of the time delay. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable instructions cause the computing device to at least:
 determine whether an administrative approval to wipe the client device has been provided in an instance in which the time delay for the device wipe action has been initiated. 
 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the device wipe condition comprises at least one of an inactive time period for the client device, an operating system version of the client device below a version threshold, and an incompliant application installed in the client device. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the initiation of the time delay for the device wipe action further causes the computing device to at least:
 transmit a remedial instruction to the client device, wherein the remedial instruction restricts an operation of an operating system of the client device during the time delay. 
 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 4 , wherein the remedial instruction is a locking instruction that locks a user from an operating system of the client device during the time delay. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the wipe policy is further determined based on a machine learning model that has been trained with a plurality of previous administrator decisions for a plurality of previous device wipe actions. 
     
     
       7. A method, comprising:
 identifying, by a computing device, a device wipe condition for a client device; 
 determining, by the computing device, a wipe policy associated with the device wipe condition; 
 determining, by the computing device, whether the wipe policy is an immediate device wipe policy or a conditional device wipe policy;
 in response to determining that the device wipe condition for the client device is met and the wipe policy is the immediate device wipe policy, transmitting, by the computing device, a wipe instruction to the client device to immediately execute a device wipe action; 
 in response to determining that the device wipe condition for the client device is met and the wipe policy is the conditional wipe policy, transmitting, by the computing device, a pending wipe notification to an administrative device and initiating, by the computing device, a time delay for the device wipe action for the client device based on the wipe policy, wherein the administrative device provides an option to reject the device wipe action before an expiration of the time delay; and 
 
 transmitting, by the computing device, the wipe instruction to the client device to execute the device wipe action based on the expiration of the time delay for the device wipe action if the device wipe action was not rejected on the administrative device before the expiration of the time delay. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 determining, by the computing device, whether an administrative approval to wipe the client device has been provided in an instance in which the time delay for the device wipe action has been initiated. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the device wipe condition comprises at least one of an inactive time period for the client device, an operating system version of the client device below a version threshold, and an incompliant application installed in the client device. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 7 , wherein initiating the time delay for the device wipe action further comprises:
 transmitting, by the computing device, a remedial instruction to the client device, wherein the remedial instruction restricts an operation of an operating system of the client device during the time delay. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the remedial instruction is a locking instruction that locks a user from an operating system of the client device during the time delay. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the wipe policy is further determined based on a device identifier associated with the client device, and the wipe instruction is further transmitted based on an administrative approval received from an administrative device. 
     
     
       13. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium, comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to at least:
 identify a device wipe condition for a client device; 
 determine a wipe policy associated with the device wipe condition; 
 determine whether the wipe policy is an immediate device wipe policy or a conditional device wipe policy; 
 in response to determining that the device wipe condition for the client device is met and the wipe policy is the immediate device wipe policy, transmit a wipe instruction to the client device to immediately execute a device wipe action; 
 in response to determining that the device wipe condition for the client device is met and the wipe policy is the conditional wipe policy, transmit a pending wipe notification to an administrative device and initiate a time delay for the device wipe action for the client device based on the wipe policy, wherein the administrative device provides an option to reject the device wipe action before an expiration of the time delay; and 
 transmit the wipe instruction to the client device to execute the device wipe action based on the expiration of the time delay for the device wipe action if the device wipe action was not rejected on the administrative device before the expiration of the time delay. 
 
     
     
       14. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of  claim 13 , wherein the machine-readable instructions further cause the computing device to at least:
 determine whether an administrative approval to wipe the client device has been provided in an instance in which the time delay for the device wipe action has been initiated. 
 
     
     
       15. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of  claim 13 , wherein the device wipe condition comprises at least one of an inactive time period for the client device, an operating system version of the client device below a version threshold, and an incompliant application installed in the client device. 
     
     
       16. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , the initiation of the time delay for the device wipe action further causes the computing device to at least:
 transmit a remedial instruction to the client device, wherein the remedial instruction restricts an operation of an operating system of the client device during the time delay. 
 
     
     
       17. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the remedial instruction is a locking instruction that locks a user from an operating system of the client device during the time delay.